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Where’s the Respect for the Missouri Tigers?

By Chris Olszewski

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The SEC Media Days have come and gone once again, and with them the media’s predictions about how the chips will fall in the conference. The media selected Georgia to win the East, Alabama to win the West…and Auburn to win the conference despite finishing second in the West. As for the Missouri Tigers? The media have the Tigers pegged at third in the East, behind Georgia and Tennessee. For yet another year, the Missouri Tigers are the Rodney Dangerfield of the SEC: They ain’t got no respect.

But why? The Tigers have won the SEC East two years running, and have arguably an easier schedule than in those two years. Missouri misses Auburn, LSU and Alabama in the regular season, and the first four games of the season are cupcakes. Those four games (Southeastern Missouri, Arkansas State, UConn, and Kentucky) will be important, as their relative ease gives coach Gary Pinkel and quarterback Maty Mauk time to break in the receiving corps before a tough stretch.

It’s not like the Tigers are slouching off. The Tigers have gone 23-5 over the last two seasons, including a 14-2 record in conference play. The conference record matches Alabama’s and is better than Auburn’s, and the overall record is second to only Alabama; yet we constantly see the Missouri Tigers overlooked as a contender in the SEC.

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Perhaps the easy schedule has something to do with it, even though the SEC in general is known for scheduling games that are almost givens in favor of the SEC school. Or it might be the fact that the SEC East is a weaker division than the West, and Missouri is not guaranteed to face schools like Alabama, LSU, and Auburn every year.

If the Tigers win the East again this year, it might finally bring some respect from outside. Yes, the schedule is easy, but the team is not what it was. The recieving corps is entirely new, the defense is depleted (especially with the recent loss of Harold Brantley for the season), and there are changes that do not guarantee an SEC East title for the Tigers. But if this team can win, then maybe the Missouri Tigers will finally get some respect.

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